THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay Police Service officers with the Cyber Crimes Unit discovered in August that a local man, Mark Phillip LEHTONEN was suspected to be violating prohibition order conditions handed to him as a result of a conviction related to child pornography charges.
Further police investigation confirmed the suspect was using online pseudonyms, which represented a violation of their prohibition order.
Mark Phillip LEHTONEN first came to the attention of the Cyber Crimes Unit in June of 202O and has repeat charges of breaching the conditions of his release from custody as the charges go through the courts.
Cyber Crimes officers, with assistance from members of the TBPS’s Break and Enter and Robbery (BEAR) Unit, located and arrested the accused on Thursday, September 1st, 2022. He was then transported to the TBPS headquarters at 1200 Balmoral Street.
Mark Phillip LEHTONEN, 39, of Thunder Bay, is charged with:
• Failure to Comply with Prohibition Regarding Children x 2
He appeared in bail court on Friday, September 2 and was remanded into custody with a future appearance date.
Previously issued media releases are attached below for further context:
March 30, 2021 08:33 AM
P20021455
Additional charges laid amid ongoing child pornography investigation
A Thunder Bay man charged in June of 2020 for charges relating to the possession of child pornography and breaching a prohibition order in relation to children has received additional charges.
The new charges come as a result of continued investigation by the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Cyber Crime Unit.
On March 25, 2021, Mark Philip LEHTONEN, 38, of Thunder Bay, was charged with:
• Distribute Intimate Image Without Consent x 5
• Breach Prohibition Order in Relation to Children x 10
He remains in custody pending a future appearance date.
Previously published media releases connected to this investigation follow.
July 22, 2020
P20051126
Male arrested for breaching release conditions amid child pornography investigation
A local man arrested in June for breaching a prohibition order in relation to children was arrested again Tuesday for a separate incident of breaching a prohibition order in relation to children.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers with the Cyber Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at a residential address in the 400 block of Rupert Street on June 16, 2020. The search was the result of an ongoing investigation into the possession of child pornography, and led to the arrest of Mark Phillip LEHTONEN, 37, of Thunder Bay.
He was subsequently charged with Possession of Child Pornography and Breach of Prohibition Order in Relation to Children.
Early in July police learned LEHTONEN was possibly in breach of his release conditions.
On Tuesday, July 21 police executed a search warrant at a residential address in the 100 block of Floral Beach Road in Shuniah. Police seized a device during the search, and after reviewing its contents laid a new charge of Accessing Child Pornography.
LEHTONEN’s additional charges include:
• Accessing Child Pornography
• Breach Prohibition Order in Relation to Children
• Failure to Comply with Judicial Release
He appeared in bail court on Wednesday, July 22 and was remanded into custody with a future appearance date of Thursday, July 23.
PREVIOUS RELATED MEDIA RELEASE FOLLOWS:
June 17, 2020
P20021455
Child pornography, breach of prohibition charges laid
Police arrested and charged a local man Tuesday with possession of child pornography and breaching a prohibition order in relation to children.
Members of the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Cyber Crimes Unit began an investigation in January 2020 after receiving information about suspicious online posts by a local Internet user.
As a result of their ongoing investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 400 block of Rupert Street on June 16.
During this search, police found evidence the accused was in violation of a court order, which prohibited the suspect from accessing the World Wide Web outside of employment and education purposes. Police also located and seized devices connected to their investigation.
Further investigation revealed the suspect was in possession of files consistent with child pornography.
Mark Phillip LEHTONEN, 37, of Thunder Bay is charged with Possession of Child Pornography and Breach of Prohibition Order in Relation to Children.
He appeared in bail court on Wednesday, June 17 and was remanded into custody with a future appearance date of Thursday, June 18.
